FTW – Netflix takes a proactive approach, steps up and owns it.

I signed up for a Netflix account recently after purchasing a new Blu-ray player that supports Netflix movie streaming. I figured "Wow, this is great. I can watch movies when I want from my netflix queue." My only worry was, would my current internet connection be able to sustain a quality viewing experience. I still have Verizion DSL. My town does not have FiOS available (and no plans to), and my location has an effect on overall DSL speeds. I've learned to live with it.

So when I had some intermittent problems accessing and watching movies via netflix, I assumed it was due to my connection. That is, until I received an email from Netflix that stated:

"Recently, you may have had trouble instantly watching movies or TV episodes via your Netflix Ready Device due to technical issues.

We are sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused. This is not a great way to begin your Netflix membership. So that you can properly experience Netflix, we would like to extend your free trial.."

I did not complain about the service, and in fact attributed it to my sometimes questionable DSL connection. But Netflix was right there to voluntarily step up, take the initiative and say oops, we goofed. It's refreshing to see a company take responsibility for their service without being prompted.

There is the argument that I am still on a trial membership basis, and they are just trying to initiate some damage control to keep me on as a paying user when the trial expires. Maybe, but it's good to know they are keeping tabs on the service and own it when something goes wrong.